Heading east tomorrow morning for the 8th Annual ‘Cuse Road Trip. A road trip to Syracuse sounds peculiar, right? Not so. Road trips – any trips, really – are what you make of them. If you head to Augusta for The Masters with 3 buddies who spend all weekend texting their wives, that’d be awful. The ‘Cuse is a great trip because Tim (co-founder, co-captain, co-conspirator) and I embrace the quirks of Syracuse and meld them into tradition.
5 am – That’s when we leave. That’s when people who are serious about road trips leave.
Bob Evans, Batavia, NY – For the past seven years, Peggy has greeted us at the door and Beth has been our waitress. The food at Bob Evans isn’t so much bad (and it is bad) as it is comical. They don’t have cream, they have creamer. We’re talking meals that are easily enough calories for a long weekends worth of consumption for under eight bucks. AMERICA!
The Econolodge – Our first trip in 2004 was during Homecoming weekend (as is this one) and the only hotel available was the ECO-lodge. Is it in a good part of town? No. Do nefarious things take place in the parking lot? Of course. Are the rooms well-designed? Uh-uh. They’re peculiar. Do they offer free toiletries, muffins, coffee and various breakfast treats. They sure do! And does the owner make an effort to call Tim every year and wish him a Merry Christmas because we’re valued customers? He does. (True story.)
Syracuse Football – They’re 1-6 during our trips, including one year when we saw a basketball game. (The basketball team was heavily favoured, proving, almost irrefutably, that we’re a direct jinx on the universities athletic programs. Maybe we should start supporting water polo just to see if we could cause a near-fatal drowning.) 1-6 is terrible. Last year the team showed signs of life before we rolled in for a Saturday night game. The Carrier Dome (more on it in a minute) was packed and lively. First play of the game, ‘Cuse had a wide-receiver streaking down the sideline. He was open. The quarterback missed him… We knew immediately. (They got destroyed.) This year it’s a Friday night matchup against 15th ranked West Virginia on ESPN. Maybe it’s our year?? Probably not, but maybe.
The Carrier Dome – Oddly located, poorly lit, terrible field turf, $5 beers… It’s heavenly. Tim upped his game big time this year by purchasing season seats in the first row for something like $180 bucks. I find this endlessly entertaining. Pretty sure they come with little cushions. Don’t hate everybody… Don’t hate.
Our Local Bar – Always the same spot. Always the same spot at the bar. Always the same music. Beer and liquor are so inexpensive that Tim and I once had this exchange: Me, What could we get for a sixty dollar tab here? Tim, We’d never survive. Tim is correct.
Once we get to decade mark we’re going to have to introduce some next level shit. Themed Clothing? A third or fourth member? A field pass? We don’t know… Here’s what we do know: The fundamental elements of this trip outlined above will never, ever change. Tradition is what makes a weekend, everything else is secondary.
